Torrington man exposed himself to teenage girl, police say

BANTAM >> A Torrington man is facing a charge of risk of injury to a minor after police said he propositioned a 15-year-old girl for sex outside a convenience store early last month.

Alberto Cervantes-Ramirez, 35, of 40 Albert St., was arraigned on an additional charge of public indecency after police say he directed sexually explicit cat calls toward a girl June 1. He is at liberty on a promise to appear after Judge Thomas Upson agreed to reduce his bond from $7,500 at a Tuesday appearance in Bantam Superior Court.

Cervantes-Ramirez was originally facing breach of peace and was released from police custody on a $500 bond. When officers determined the extent of the allegations from witnesses, Officer Michael Gallagher was required to draft an arrest warrant on additional counts of the risk of injury and public indecency.

Police said the girl was with a group of friends outside Cumberland Farms on South Main Street when they were approached by a drunken Cervantes-Ramirez, a short man clad in white shorts and a matching T-shirt.

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A 19-year-old man said Cervantes-Ramirez made sexual overtures and suggested lewd acts to the girl, offering to pay her $20 for sex.

In a statement to police, the 15-year-old girl said she told Cervantes-Ramirez she was 12 years old, hoping that would scare him off, but he was insistent.

“I have the 20 right here,” he said, according to an arrest warrant.

Witnesses said he called the girl “baby” and said she was “beautiful.”

The group fled across the street to escape from Cervantes-Ramirez, who walked toward them with his genitals exposed and urinated on a telephone pole, according to the warrant. He finished urinating and began yelling “hey papi” while touching his penis, police said.

Gallagher noted in a police report that Cervantes-Ramirez was drunk and wouldn’t answer questions from police when he was confronted outside the convenience store. He told officers he was at the convenience store earlier and returned to buy chips, rambling on before finally producing a picture ID.

Surveillance from the store’s cameras was grainy, dark and didn’t capture the alleged episode, police said.

Upson ordered Cervantes-Ramirez to stay away from the Cumberland Farms on South Main Street, avoid contact with the victim, undergo substance abuse treatment and not have unsupervised contact with minors under 16. He is expected back in court later this month.